Automotive News Canada - September 2022 - 9

* SEPTEMBER 2022
9
AI on the ball
Keeping his
Using artificial intelligence
to make data-driven
decisions with the
customer in mind
By DOUG FIRBY
CALGARY CORRESPONDENT
IT'S NO SMALL FEAT TO TURN A
family-run dealership group in suburban
Vancouver into a sophisticated, data-driven
organization. It has taken dealer
principal Adil Ahamed and his team at
Destination Auto Group 10 years to get
there.
A key aspect has been to mine both
financial and customer data to make better
decisions,
aided by artificial
intelligence.
Using an
AI-driven financial
planning and
analysis tool, for
example, Destination Auto Group receives
" clear insight " weekly on its stores' performance
and has been able to make
Ahamed: " The
end goal is to
have data that
is relational "
- that is,
information
that can help
determine a
customer's
wants and
needs.
BEST PRACTICES
AI SPOTLIGHT
SUPPLIED PHOTO
inventory and tactical
adjustments
much more quickly
than it had in
the past.
Clearly the strategy
is working.
Ahamed's accomplishments
were
recognized by the
Canadian Automobile
Dealers Association
(CADA) when it
named him the 2022
Laureate in Business
Innovation " for initiatives
that significantly
enhance performance
or broaden scope for
new car and truck
dealers. "
The winners were
selected by independent
judges from the Ivey Business School
of Western University in London, Ont.
In the announcement, the judges cited
" novel tools that enable data-driven decision-making.
... Innovations in information
technology have greatly reduced the
group's average issue resolution time,
Destination Auto Group has four stores. Under the leadership of Adil Ahamed,
the company mines and organizes its databases so it can use AI to suggest sales
strategies and custom-tailored offers. SUPPLIED PHOTO
which enables staff to focus on business
growth. "
" We have an amazing team - very
good human beings, " Ahamed said. " I
share the award with them. "
BACKGROUND IN FINANCE
Ahamed joined Destination Auto
Group in 2012 after earning his MBA from
Columbia University in New York City
and working internationally in microfinance
and banking. His goal was to
" unlock value through innovation " at
the 363-employee group, which sells the
Honda, Toyota and Mazda brands through
four dealerships in Vancouver, North
Vancouver and Burnaby.
Ahamed's goal was twofold: Optimize
the business and, should it decline, ensure
that the real estate is growing in value. In
2016, he was named managing director of
the group, and he became dealer principal
in 2019.
" During COVID, we were able to speed
up decision-making from weeks to a day, "
Ahamed said. " It gave us the ability to
SEE AI PAGE 18
When it comes to Auto
Financing, Scotiabank has
the tools to make it happen
For over 65 years, Scotiabank has been an industry
leader among banks1
, serving the end-to-end financial
needs of automotive dealerships.
Scotiabank has a variety of products to support the
Automotive Industry in Canada. Our dealership and
floor plan financing, wholesale leasing and banking
products are available to provide you with the solutions
you need to operate your dealership. We also proudly
provide a variety of retail financing programs for
your customers. When it comes to auto financing,
be confident Scotiabank has you covered.
scotiabank.com/automotive
®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia.
1Scotiabank has the highest market share in Prime Retail Automotive Finance among Canadian Banks as calculated using industry reports.

http://www.scotiabank.com/automotive

Automotive News Canada - September 2022

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